Analyst Ben West to speak at St. Norbert College as part of the Great Decisions lecture series

Ben West, analyst from national analytical service STRATFOR.COM, will give a lecture, "The Horn of Africa," as a part of the Great Decisions Lecture Series on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Fort Howard Theater at the F. K. Bemis International Center on the St. Norbert campus.

An up-and-coming national voice and an expert in this part of the world, Ben West will give a broad brush on the instability, piracy, and poverty of this region that is so critical to world sea transport lanes.

Great Decisions is a nationwide program meant to bring together local, regional and national experts in an eight-week lecture series discussing international issues of interest to the community. St. Norbert College is hosting the public event for its 29th year in northeastern Wisconsin.

Topics for the series are selected by the Foreign Policy Association of America and are intended to provide a local forum for discussion on current political and economic issues of the day. The speakers themselves are selected by participating colleges and universities. St. Norbert College is one of only two schools in Wisconsin that present the entire series. (UW-Milwaukee is the other.)

An advance subscription for the entire series is available for $40 per person. Subscription includes admission to all eight lectures and a copy of the Great Decisions briefing book. The briefing book includes background information on the lecture topics and access to the association's website, www.fpa.org, for resources, guides to topics and online discussion forums. Admission to individual sessions is also available for $5 at the door, and briefing books are available for $15.

For more information, contact the St. Norbert College Center for International Education at 920-403-4075.